You Are the Only One Who Understands Me REVISED
by LetTheInsanityBegin
Summary: It's the beginning of a Golden Era. Voldemort has been destroyed. The wizarding world is celebrating, but in his moment of glory, The Boy Who Lived is nowhere to be found. All we know for certain that this story has only just begun...
1. Teaser&The Boy Who Lived

**So, this is the revised version of You Are The Only One Who Understands Me. Enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Neville/Luna would be real!**

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Harry Potter.

The Boy Who Lived.

People say he was brought up in the muggle world. They say he knew nothing of his heritage and what he had done.

They also say that from the moment he was placed on the doorstep of his relatives house, a girl the same age as him, never left his side.

And even more people say that Harry Potter then went on to fall in love with this girl.  
But what do they know?

Of course, most of they said was true. Harry Potter had no recollection of his amazing feat. Nor did he know that he was exceptionally extraordinary. And so was Hayley Potter.

They were magical. A wizards and a witch. And they were to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And that wasn't the biggest shock.

Harry and Hayley had believed for ten years that they were siblings. Family.

Hayley Potter was not, in fact, a Potter at all.

It was a shock at first. Neither wanted to believe it. They looked like twins whether they were blood related or not.

The pair spent two years in denial of the fact that they were not siblings until they could deny it no more. Hayley was not his flesh and blood.

Harry still acted as if Hayley was his sister, as he had believed for eleven years. Both were happy with the arrangement to play pretend with that matter.

They were certainly the talk of the entire magical world. They were meant to be. The dynamic duo of Hogwarts. Fate, it seemed, had decided that Harry would have a companion on his long journey.

Of course, as history tell us, the duo would soon become a quartet. The Golden Quartet, as they would be known later.

And yet, in the midst of all this, it was curious that these two particular children were thrown together in the events that had transpired over the previous eleven years. Much had changed in the muggle and magical worlds since the two children had been growing up.

These were hard times to grow up in. Fortunate in so many ways and unfortunate in many others.

They, naturally, were eleven at the time of these awesome discoveries. They felt... to put it in their words, scared. They were so innocent. Discovering magic you didn't think could exist is intimidating enough. Being introduced to an entire world where you are famous and you didn't even know it is another.

Seven years on though, their eleven year old selves would hardly recognise them. Both have grown up too fast, sacrificed too much, lost far too much and seen too much death for any normal person's liking.  
But being the people they are, and will be, they fought through it. To make a better world for everyone. To finally have a life free of the Dark Lord.

But that's for later. In fact, I have said too much on the matter already.

Right now, you need to hear their story from the beginning.

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**10 years later...**

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Harry James Potter woke to the sound of banging. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he sat up shaking the other sleeping figure in his room.

"Wake up you lousy good for nothing wimps! I have better things to do than sit around waiting for you to leave the house!" He heard his cousin yell through the stairs. Harry groaned as he remembered the date. Dudley's birthday. He shook the sleeping figure once more, more urgently this time.

"Come on! We gotta wake up now!" Harry could muffled groans and grunts as his cupboard-mate came back to the world of the living. As she stretched out as much as she could in the crowded space they shared, she spoke.

"What is it? I'm sleeping." Harry rolled his eyes. He knew she had heard Dudley yelling, and wanted to cause a fuss just to upset the Dursleys.

"Please, not today Hayley. It's his birthday." Hayley rolled over to look at her brother.

"Is it that day already? Diddums' birthday: oh yay!" And with that she rolled back to sleep again. Harry laughed good-naturedly and got up and dressed. As he opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs into the house, he was shoved back by Dudley running to the mailbox to see if there was any money for him in the mail. Harry toppled back onto the sleeping Hayley, who had a very rude re-awakening.

"Oomph! Gerroff! Harryyyyy!" As she struggled to sit up, she laughed.

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_As she looks back on that day, the day Harry and Hayley realised they were not normal, she wishes she could go back to the innocence, the happiness. No pain, no death, no longing. And most importantly, there was no heartbreak. It was what lead to the end of their iconic friendship. All it took was one spark, one thought, one idea..._

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"Come on, we're going get a day in the cupboard if we don't hurry up." Hayley untangled herself from Harry, dressed and went into the kitchen. Aunt Petunia saw her walk in and sniffed disapprovingly.

Petunia always regretted the fact that she couldn't tame Harrys hair or mold Hayley into a perfect "daughter". Harry was given Dudleys old things, but because Hayley was too small to wear Dudleys clothes and she was a girl, Petunia was forced to buy her new clothes. It had all been well and good, but in the past year, the girl had adopted the most horrible clothing style. Tight jeans, combat boots, hoodies; It just wasn't proper for a lady to wear such things. At that moment Harry walked into the kitchen to help with breakfast. Another sniff was heard from Petunia. The boy's hair was just simply horrid. She had even tried to cut it all off, but the next day, there it was, as if she hadn't touched it. Strange things happened the two children and Petunia Dursley was determined to stay away from it.

"Petunia dear, there's problem..." A gruff voice floated from the hall.

"What is it?" Petunia's shrill voice matched her personality perfectly. She was a nosy person, always needing to know everything about her neighbours.

"Well, Mrs Figg can't take _them_."

"Well, why not Vernon?"

"She's broken her leg."

"Ah. Well, we'll figure something out won't we? Is there anyone else on the street who can take them?"

"'Fraid not dear." Vernon Dursley walked into the dining room, where Petunia was rearranging Dudley's presents. He spoke to her quietly.

"I think they'll have to come."

"Oh. Are you sure? There's no one else? At all?" As Hayley watched the sizzling bacon, she could hear her aunt and uncle talking. She pretended not to hear, but her heart leaped at the prospect of being able to spend Dudley's birthday not looking at cats. Vernon shook his head curtly and marched into the kitchen for his morning coffee. On the way, Hayley bumped into him.

"Watch it, girl." Hayley swallowed with great difficulty at the look on her uncle's face.

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_She remembers that moment, and she laughs. She wonders why she was so terrified of someone who had no real power. The fun part was terrifying him every summer holidays after returning from Hogwarts. She remembers the first summer she felt happy, powerful, free. Powerful... She remembers her third year, when- No. Not now. Those memories can wait._

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Suddenly, Dudley thundered down the stairs. He ran- well, waddled- over to the enormous pile of presents waiting for him. He stood in silence as he counted them.

"37 presents! But I had 38 last year! That's not fair!" At that he scrunched up his face and started to wail. Petunia rushed over and started to comfort him.

"It's alright Diddikins, don't cry, don't cry. Tell you what, we'll go out and get 2 more presents! How does that sound?"

"And that means I'll have... I'll have..." Dudley's chubby features morphed into what could be mistaken for pain at having to think.

"39 Diddums!"

"Oh. Alright then." There was ring and a knock at the door. It was one of Dudley's 'little friends', Piers Polkiss, here for Dudley's birthday outing. Hayley and Harry shrank back into the shadow of the kitchen. Neither wanted to play 'Beat up the freak' again, or any time soon for that matter.

"Alright, everyone in the car!" Piers and Dudley raced to the car.

"Oh. And you two as well. Get in the car." Hayley and Harry looked at each in shock and apprehension. Never in their lives had they been taken out for a treat, let alone for one of Dudley's parties. Both ran to the car before their uncle could change his mind. As soon Dudley realised that they were coming too, he had a tantrum about it.

"Muuuum, they _can't_ come! He _always_ ruins everything! And _she's_horrible to me! Muuuuum!" It took 2 more presents for Dudley to finally calm down. It was only then that the pair allowed themselves a small smile.

When they reached the zoo, Dudley and Piers ran wild, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Before Hayley and Harry could run off, though, Vernon caught them by their collars.

"No funny business, do you hear me?" Both silently nodded, before escaping Vernon's line of sight. Keeping well away from Piers and Dudley was quite easy in the zoo. And it allowed them to talk too.

"I had a dream last night." Harry remarked at they watched a lion yawn lazily in it's enclosure. Hayley looked at him with mock shock.

"Oh really? Who'd have thought? People have dreams now?" Harry laughed.

"Hayley, I'm serious!"

"Ok, ok. What was it about then?"

"A flying motorcycle."

"A flying motorcycle. D'you know how absurd that sounds?" Hayley grinned as they moved to the next enclosure, with spider monkeys.

"Yeah, I know! That's 'cause it was a dream!"

"Sure sure! Next time you'll be saying that the dream came to life and whisked you away!" The children laughed again, but underneath the laughter was a deep longing to run away from the Dursleys.

"I had a dream too."

"You did? Tell me."

"Ok... It's hard to remember the exact details, but I remember all these people standing over me. They were talking. Just talking. I don't even know what about. I didn't even catch their names."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't really remember many of the people except two. This man, who was looking at me a lot, like he was proud of me and a lady and she looked at like she was really proud. Harry... I think they were our parents." Hayley looked at Harry with a glint of hope and sadness in her eyes. Harry met her gaze and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What happened next?"

"They mentioned some other people. They weren't there though. Or at least, I couldn't see them. But they looked so happy, and it made me happy. It was the best dream I've ever had Harry!"

"Wow."

"I know..." Hayley stared off into the distance as Harry watched the monkeys swing from the trees. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Piers and Dudley walking away from the snake enclosures.

"Hey, let's go look at the snakes. Quickly, before uncle Vernon orders us to the car." They walked over and pressed their faces up against the glass admiring the Diamond Pythons and Green Tree Snakes. They soon found an enclosure the really interested them.

"Which type is this? I'm too short to read it." Harry stood on tip toe and read aloud to Hayley.

"A Boa Constricter, found in Brazil."

"Cool." As they watched, the snake started to move. Harry jokingly started to speak to the snake, as if it were able to talk back.

"So you're a Boa Constrictor?" The snake looked at him, then slowly made a movement that looked it nodded.

"And you come from Brazil?" Hayley caught on. The snake shook it's head from side to side.

"You were born here then?" Harry then leant against the information tablet and pretended to look as casual as possible as one can in a zoo. Again, the snake looked like it nodded. Hayley stifled a giggle.

"Can you understand us?" Hayley continued with a big grin on her face. Another nod. And then;

"Yessss, I can." Hayley and Harry gaped. Hayley quickly recovered.

"You were born here? Do you ever wonder what Brazil might be like?"

"All the time. I wissssh I could esssscape."

"I wish we could help you." Harry said sadly. Suddenly they heard a yell from Piers.

"Dudley look! They're making the snake move! As Piers and Dudley ran up to the exhibit, they shoved Harry and Hayley to the floor. On the ground, Harry glared at Dudley. He wished he could make Dudley pay for all the things he did and free the snake. Harry blinked and then the world exploded with sound. He took one look around and back at the enclosure- _the glass was gone._

And the snake had escaped. It slithered it's way through the crowd to Harry and Hayley.

"Thankssss." And with that, it made it's way to freedom.

"A-Anytime..." Harry stammered out a little late.

The children then really got a good look at what had happened. Piers and Dudley were in a corner wailing. People were running everywhere and screaming. Dudley and Piers screamed out to Petunia and Vernon.

"It was going to kill me!"

"It was around my waist, I could feel it!" Spotting Harry and Hayley, Vernon left Petunia to comfort the boys and marched over to the Potter children.

"WHAT IN BLAZES JUST HAPPENED?"

"I-I-I don't know, I swear-"

"DON"T LIE TO ME GIRL, YOU WERE HERE!" Harry all but yelled;

"I swear we don't know! One minute the glass was there and then it was gone. It was like magic!"

Vernon, who had drawn a breath to yell again fell silent, turning all sorts of colours before speaking again in a hushed but furious tone.

"_There's no such thing as magic! _NOW GET IN THE CAR!" The children scurried to the car before Vernon could unleash more of his wrath on them.

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_She remembers that day so well. Well, mostly what she remembers is the feeling. And the feeling she gets is fear. Fear of the snake. Fear of their Uncle Vernon hurting them. Fear of Dudley and Piers beating them up. Fear of the cupboard._

_Fear. Yes, she had definitely had her share._

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As soon as they all got home Vernon shoved Harry and Hayley into their cupboard and locked it.

"I SPECIFICALLY SAID NO FUNNY BUSINESS! AND _THIS_ IS WHAT I GET! YOU WON'T BE COMING OUT OF THERE FOR A _LONG TIME_!" He roared at them.

Harry and Hayley cowered in the dark of their cupboard under the stairs.

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**Good? Bad? Please tell me!**

**Now, while you're here *evil laugh*, I need some help. I need to find a name that a wizard would call someone who can use very powerful wandless magic. If you could help, that would be AWESOME! :D**

**Please, please, _please_ review! Thank you!**


	2. The Letters From No One

**Hey guys!**

**So I finally got this chapter the way I wanted it- I thought you deserved a good chunk of the story too make up for my neglect. Here, 7 pages for you!  
**

**Anyway, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T own HARRY POTTER! *runs away and cries***

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By the time the two children had been let out of the cupboard, the summer holidays had started. Both Harry and Hayley were glad school was over, but it meant more time spent trying to avoid Dudley's gang. They visited the house every day. As Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, this made him their leader. They were perfectly happy to join in with anything Dudley did, which included among other things, his favourite sport: Harry Hunting. They wouldn't dare go after Hayley, she was too fast for them and besides, they didn't want to hurt a girl because they knew she could scream- _loud_. Of course, this didn't stop them teasing and shoving her whenever they thought the adults weren't looking.

This drove both Harry and Hayley to spend as much time as possible out of the house. Both were looking forward to secondary school; it would the first time in their lives they wouldn't be with Dudley. They were attending the local comprehensive, Stonewall High, while Dudley and his friends were going to Smeltings. As much as both children were looking forward to Dudley-free days, both were sure they would be eternally embarrassed by their uniforms.

_Harry had walked into the kitchen one morning to a horrible smell. Petunia had what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water in a metal tub in the sink._

"_What's this?" He had asked. Petunia looked at him as if he were an annoying bug, waiting to whacked._

"_Your new school uniforms," she had said. Harry had looked to bowl, to Aunt Petunia and back to the bowl again._

"_Oh. I didn't realise they had to be so wet."_

"_Don't be stupid boy!" Aunt Petunia had snapped. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things, and some other clothes I found at Goodwill grey for the pair of you. They'll look just like everyone else's when I'm done with them." Harry had just nodded, jumped down from the table and ran to tell Hayley._

_Later, the pair of them would have a real laugh about what they would have looked like the first day at that school; probably like they were wearing bits elephant skin. Of course, Hayley had promised Harry that had they had to go Stonewall, she would have fixed them- she had a sort of gift. She could make anything look good._

Hayley trudged into the kitchen still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Uncle Vernon and Dudley soon followed. All three wrinkled their noses at the smell. As soon as they had sat down, it almost seemed like a proper, nice, normal family. Of course, the image didn't last long. The tell-tale click of the letter-box sent everything back into it's rightful place.

"Get the post, Dudley." Vernon said, nose in his paper.

"Make Hayley get it."

"Get the post, Hayley."

"Make Harry get it!"

"Get the post, Harry!"

"Make Dudley get it!"

"Dudley, poke him with your Smeltings stick." Along with a uniform, Dudley had been given a knobbly stick. This was used for hitting other children when the teachers weren't looking; apparently good practice for later in life. Harry dodged the stick and ran to get the post. Four things lay on the doormat. A postcard from Aunt Marge, Vernon's sister, who was on holiday on the Isle of Wight, a think brown envelope that looked like a bill, and two letters- _one for Hayley and one for Harry._ Harry picked them up and stared. The same letter, written twice, for Hayley and himself.

The same address too:

_Mr H Potter_

_The Cupboard Under the Stairs_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

and again:

_Ms H Potter_

_The Cupboard Under the Stairs_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

Harry just stood there, shellshocked. He recovered enough to call Hayley over.

"H-Hayley? C-Could you come here a minute?" The reply came instantly.

"Sure!" She was next to Harry in a second.

"What's up?" Harry said nothing, only gave her the letter. Hayley's smile disappeared to be replaced by pure shock.

"What is this?" She said, the awe seeping through her voice.

"I-I.. I don't know. I found them with the others..."

"Is... Is it a joke?"

"I don't know..." They both walked into the kitchen again, Harry dropping the Dursley's mail on the table. Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust and flipped over the postcard.

"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk..."

"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly noticing the Potters. "Dad, Harry's got something!" Both children were in the process of opening their letters when they were jerked sharply from their hands by Uncle Vernon.

"That's _mine_!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.

"Give it back!" Hayley shrieked.

"Who'd be writing to _you two_?" sneered Vernon, shaking Harry's letter open and glancing at it. His face turned all the colours of the rainbow faster than Hayley thought was humanly possible. Fortunately, it stopped at greyish white, before it made it back to red again.

"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped, mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish. While Vernon fended off Dudley's demands to see the letters, Aunt Petunia had picked up Hayley's and read the first line. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness- Vernon!" Both stayed stock still, still in obvious shock of what the letters contained. Dudley, who did not like to be ignored, rapped his Smeltings stick sharply on his father's head.

"I want to read that letter!" He demanded.

"_I_ want to read it," Harry protested furiously "as they're _ours_!"

"Get out. All of you." Vernon said gruffly.

After a few protests from the boys, all three children were thrown out of the room. It didn't stop them spying though. Harry listened at the crack in the door while Dudley listened at the keyhole. Harry then relayed everything Petunia and Vernon were saying back to Hayley.

It was the most peculiar conversation he had ever heard.

"Vernon... Look at the address- how could they possibly know where they sleep? You don't think they're watching us?" Vernon then muttered something unintelligible.

"What should we do Vernon?"

"We'll ignore them... yes... definitely best... if they don't get an answer... yes..."

"But Vernon-"

"I will not tolerate even _one_ in this house Petunia! We swore we'd stamp it out of both of them when we took them in!"

Hayley was as bemused as Harry by it all. But it got even weirder.

Later that evening when Vernon returned from work, he did something most peculiar; he visited Harry and Hayley in the cupboard. As soon as Harry saw his ruddy face, he immediately asked for their letters.

"Where are they? I want to read mine."

"Mine too!" Hayley added.

"Who's writing to us?"

"And why?"

"No one," Vernon said shortly. " It was the wrong address. I have burnt it."

"No, it _wasn't_ a mistake!" Hayley said disbelievingly.

"It had our cupboard on it!" Harry said angrily.

"SILENCE!" Vernon yelled. He took a few deep breaths and forced his face into a painful smile.

"Er- Yes... About this cupboard, Harry, and Hayley... Petunia and I- we think you're getting a bit big for it... we think it might be... nice... for you two to move into Dudley's second bedroom."

"...why?" Hayley asked, distrust clearly laced through her voice.

"Just- Don't ask questions! Take your things up now." And with that, Vernon left.

In total, it took the Potter children one trip to take their things up to the bedroom. It was a nice enough room, but both Harry and Hayley would rather be in their cupboard with their letters, than up here without.

The next morning in the Dursley household was surprisingly quiet. Dudley was shock. He'd screamed, kicked, whacked his father with his Smeltings stick and been sick on purpose and still didn't have his room back. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon kept throwing looks at each other. Harry and Hayley were their usual selves, aiming to be noticed as little as possible.

When the post came, Vernon in a seemingly huge effort to try and be nice to Harry and Hayley, made Dudley go get it.

Seconds later, Dudley could be heard banging down the corridor with his Smeltings stick.

"Dad! Dad! They got another one! _Mr H Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive_-"

Vernon leapt out of his seat with a strangled cry and bounded down the hall with Harry on his tail. By the time Hayley got there, Harry had Uncle Vernon in a head lock and and Vernon was on top of Dudley, wrestling the letters out of his hands. Taking advantage of the confusion, Hayley made to grab for a letter, but was too slow. Vernon stood, Hayley still clinging to his arm, trying to get at both letters. He shook her off with an effort.

"Go to your cupbo - bedroom. Dudley, go. Just go..." Vernon wheezed and then set to work burning the letters.

In their room, Harry was pacing back and forth angrily while Hayley was lying on the bed, bouncing an old tennis ball against the ceiling.

"I can't believe this!" Harry finally exploded.

"Can't. Believe. What?" droned Hayley, evidently bored.

"Someone _knows_ we lived in the cupboard. Someone _knows_ we moved into this room. What's going on? I _have_ to know."

"So do I, but I have no idea how we'll get those letters. Hey wait, I have an idea." Harry slumped on the bed, next to Hayley.

"Tell me." Hayley sat up with a familiar twinkle in her eyes. She loved plotting.

"All we have to do is outsmart Uncle Vernon."

"...Right. How do we do that?"

"Leave that to me."

At precisely 6am the next morning, Harry tiptoed across the landing on second floor, waiting for Hayley. His heart thumped in his ears, wondering if their plan was actually going work. As he looked to the stairs, he saw Hayley silently sprinting up, which meant it was go time.

"Let's do this." she whispered excitedly. Harry nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak.

Hayley's plan was fairly simple. Hayley would make her way downstairs to the cupboard and hide. When the post was delivered, she would jump out and distract whoever was coming to get it, most likely Uncle Vernon. Harry would then slip over to the door, grab the letters and bring them upstairs. She only hoped it would work.

Hayley went over the plan once more with Harry and then slipped downstairs again. She picked her way down the stairs so as to not wake up the house. As she made out the front door, she relaxed a little. Maybe, just _maybe_, if she just waited for the post to come, and then grabbed it-

"AAAAARRRRRGH!" Hayley jumped a foot in the air. Harry sprinted down to see what had happened. Hayley had gone too far and had stepped on something- _alive!_

As lights came on in the house, it became apparent that Hayley had stood on Uncle Vernon's face. He was in a sleeping bag, at the door, trying to stop Harry and Hayley from just what they'd attempted to do. He yelled at both child for about an hour and then told Harry to go make him a cup of tea. By the time he got back, Vernon had three letters in his hand, with telltale green ink on the front. Hayley stepped forward as if to grab one, but before she could, Vernon had ripped them into small pieces. He then proceeded to nail up the letterbox.

The next day Harry and Hayley woke to find no fewer than twenty four letters had found their way into the house. Vernon skipped work that day to burn the letters and nail up the cracks everywhere around the house.

By Saturday things became very bizarre. The milk-man delivered their eggs through the living room window, only for Petunia to find that there were another twenty four letters, rolled up and hidden in the eggs. Vernon made several furious phone calls that day.

On Sunday, it seemed to have calmed down. Uncle Vernon sat at the breakfast table with a strangely peaceful look on his face.

"No post on Sundays!" He reminded everyone all too happily. "And no post means no damn letters today!" As Vernon said this, a letter came whizzing down the chimney, to hit him on the back of the head. There was silence as everyone absorbed what had just happened. Suddenly, there was a rumble from the fireplace.

The room exploded.

Letters flew every which way, like bullets out of a gun. Everyone ducked, except Harry, who jumped up to try and catch a letter. He was so close-

Vernon yanked him down and grabbed both Potters by their collars.

"OUT!" He roared and threw them out into the hall. Aunt Petunia and Dudley run out screaming, Vernon close behind. He slammed the door shut, obviously shaken.

"Everyone go upstairs and pack. We're leaving in 5 minutes."

"Wha-" Hayley started.

"NOW!" Hayley shrunk back and everyone sprinted upstairs.

Ten minutes later, they were speeding down the highway. Dudley was crying in the back; Vernon had refused to let him bring his TV, video and computer in his sports bag.

Late into the day, they kept driving. Every so often, Vernon would swing the car around and drive in the opposite direction, all the time muttering to himself.

"Shake 'em off... shake 'em..."

They didn't stop for food all day. By sunset, Dudley was screaming. He was hungry, tired and had missed his favourite television programs.

At last, Uncle Vernon stopped outside a rickety and gloomy looking hotel.

The rooms were not in the least bit attractive. Harry and Hayley stayed up all night, whispering quietly to each other.

"Harry, what's going on?" Hayley said with a hint of fear in her voice.

"I don't know. Uncle Vernon's gone mad, I think. And it's got something to do with the letters. I know it."

"Maybe... Or it could just be a midlife crisis." Harry stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, maybe."

The next morning was even worse. Breakfast was stale cornflakes and tinned tomatoes on toast. After breakfast, the owner of the hotel came over to their table.

"'Scuse me, but are you the Potters? I only got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."

She held up a letter. Both Harry and Hayley's eyes widened when they saw the green inked address.

Uncle Vernon stood up quickly before either of the real Potters could make a move.

"Er, yes. I'm V- Harold, Harold Potter. I'll take them."

After Vernon took care of the letters, they began to drive again. This time however, he would stop the car, get out, shake his head and keep on driving. Finally he stopped. He parked the car on the coast, locked the door and left.

After a while, Dudley spoke up.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Aunt Petunia just shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"It's Monday," Dudley continued. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a _television_."

Harry blinked, them remembered something. If today was Monday- and you could count on Dudley knowing the days- then Tuesday, tomorrow, was his birthday. Hayley seemed to have realised it too. She looked guilty. Then, she leant over and whispered to him.

"Harry! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I forgot! Let's do something special tonight for it, ok?"

Harry smiled.

"Yeah, ok."

Birthdays weren't exactly a special time for the Potters. They didn't have any friends to invite over, or even any money to spend buying presents for each other. It was surprising when the Dursleys remembered their birthdays, but the gifts weren't of great standard. Last year, Harry had received a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Just the year before, Hayley had been given a old necktie and some after dinner mints.

Still, the children made the most out of it. While the Dursleys went out to dinner, Harry and Hayley would run around the house and play pretend, based on the few stories they knew.

Uncle Vernon had returned, and he was smiling.

"I've found the perfect place! Come on! All out!"

He pointed happily to a dense black rock sitting in the middle of the ocean. Perched perilously on it, though it might looking like it might blow away at the slightest breeze, was a miserable shack.

"There's a storm tonight!" Uncle Vernon said cheerfully. "And this fine gentleman has agreed to lend us his boat!"

A crotchety, toothless old man limped up to them. With a shaking finger he pointed wickedly at an old rowboat gently bobbing in the silver water.

"I've got us some rations, so everyone aboard!" Vernon said.

After a freezing boat ride, with millions of near capsises, they reached the rock. Uncle Vernon led everyone to the shack, slipping and sliding his way there.

If any of them had any hope for a nice warm evening, it was gone by the time they saw in the inside of the hut.

It was horrible; seaweed dangled from the rafters, the wind still attacked them through the cracks and there was no way they were starting a fire in that fireplace.

Uncle Vernon was in a good mood. He obviously thought that no one would or could deliver the letters here through that storm.

After a measly dinner of a packet of crisps and a banana each, Vernon attempted to start a fire. Instead, the crisp packets just shrivelled and burned.

"Could do with those letters now, eh girl?" He remarked cheerfully to Hayley. She remained in her corner, glaring at the floor.

When night came, Petunia organised a bed for Dudley on the couch and Vernon and her retired to the lumpy bed in the next room.

Harry and Hayley were left to find the most comfortable piece of floor and to wrap up under the thinnest, most ragged blankets.

As the storm raged overhead, both Potter children tossed and turned. Neither could sleep. Finally, Harry sat up and turned to Hayley.

"Let's play pretend." He said. Hayley sat up too.

"Harry, it's almost midnight..."

"Hayley, we always play pretend on our birthdays. Why should this year be any different?" Hayley struggled, then gave in.

"Ok, fine. Let's play. Who are we today?"

"Um... I'm... I'm Peter Pan and you can be Wendy." Hayley grinned.

"Ok!" Suddenly she mock-swooned. "Oh Peter! You're so dashing! Let's fly away and never grow up!" Harry stood up and flexed his small arms

"Oh Wendy, let's do just that! I never want to grow up!" Hayley stood up too.

"But Peter! Today's your birthday!" She hugged Harry around the waist. " Are you sure you never want to grow up? You never get presents!"

"Oh my Wendy, I never thought of that! Of course I want presents! I wanna grow up now!" Harry started to fake cry. Hayley burst out laughing and collapsed on the floor. After the laughing fits finished, she sat up and grinned at Harry. She then drew a birthday cake in the dust on the floor of the shack, with the words _Happy Birthday Harry_ across it. After she added eleven candles, she turned to him.

"When Dudley's watch hits midnight, blow the candles out." Harry smiled. No birthday had ever been great, but this was turning out to be one of the top five. He looked over. Ten minutes until he was eleven. Hayley lay down beside him in their makeshift bed.

"Nine minutes, birthday boy." She whispered. Harry joined her on the floor. As they lay there, Harry thought he heard something creak. Eight minutes. He hoped the roof wouldn't fall in. Seven minutes. He wondered if the Dursleys remembered his birthday. Six minutes. He wondered where the letter-writer was now.

Five minutes now. As Hayley stared at the ceiling, she wondered how many letters were in the Dursleys house now. Four minutes

She wondered if that was the sea slapping on the rock, or someone footsteps approaching. Three minutes. What was that funny crunching noise? Two minutes.

Hayley sat up.

"One minute." Harry said.

Thirty seconds.

He looked at Hayley. She smiled back.

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen...

He drew a breath to blow out the dust candles.

Three, two, one-

BOOM.

Harry felt the breath leave him and his head whipped around to the door.

Someone was outside, and they wanted in.

* * *

**Like? Dislike? Let me know! Virtual cookies for everyone who is reading this :D**

**LetTheInsanityBegin**


	3. I still love you!

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten you, so don't worry!

The third chapter is on the way, but it's taking me ages again, cause I've got writers block, _**AGAIN**_. It's because Harry and Hayley are stuck with the damn Dursleys! GRR. They'll get to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts as fast as possible, trust me.

I'm trying to cure it through drawing, so hopefully I'll be back on track soon :D

If you want, You can check out my deviantART account. It's the same name and everything and I've also got You Are The Only One Who Understands Me up there too, under a different name, because the title wouldn't fit. Anywho, I'll be posting some stuff up there too. So check it out and I will sit in my dark room and write away!

LetTheInsanityBegin


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